– Pedro Acosta continued his series of strong results at the MotoGP race weekend in Misano. In the sprint, he finished sixth after some, as he himself said, “stupid maneuvers” by Fermin Aldeguer. The long Grand Prix went significantly better.
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This was also because KTM was able to improve the setup for race Sunday. On Friday and Saturday, Acosta had great difficulty braking the motorcycle. That is why he was clearly seen to be very upset in the box.
“Sometimes you have to get angry to deliver your best performance,” says the Spaniard. “But it is true that the guys in the box worked incredibly hard.”
“I also put pressure on Pit [Beirer] and said: ‘Buddy, make sure you give me what I need. Then I will be there. I don’t know how, but I will be there.'”
“The brand is really working extremely hard. The guys are now very open to listening to new ideas and changing the motorcycle,” praises Acosta, because now they are taking more risks with the setup. “That’s why I am more than happy.”
“We were pretty clueless all weekend, and that was quite strange because normally I am quite fast here. This weekend I had a lot of problems with the front tire at the braking point.”
With the changes for Sunday, Acosta was able to attack better again and show a fighting performance. After the first lap, he was fourth but could not keep Alex Marquez (Gresini-Ducati) in check.
“We turned the weekend around and did a good job on Saturday evening,” emphasizes Acosta. “That’s why we have to be satisfied. We fought with Ducatis and Aprilias, even though we are still clearly behind.”
During the race, he overtook Jorge Martin (Aprilia), who was struggling with arm pump, and was able to follow the two Marquez brothers. In the 23rd of 27 laps, he set his personal fastest race lap.
Could even more than third place have been possible? “I really tried,” says Acosta about his final attack. “But in the end, I had big problems in the fast section in corners 10, 11, 12, and 13.”
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“I didn’t want to risk making a mistake there. That’s why the moment when I had difficulties with the front tire was, of course, exciting. But I think third place was more than enough.”
“These are good points, a good result, and a podium for the team. That’s good. I think we have to be satisfied with the podium for KTM. The performance was clearly better than in Aragon, even though we finished second there.”
The second-best KTM rider was Enea Bastianini in eighth place. Brad Binder finished eleventh. Replacement rider Pol Espargaro collected two world championship points as 14th and last.
Next is the KTM home race in Spielberg
Next weekend, KTM has the important home race in Spielberg on the program. Acosta was now second in Aragon and third in Misano. Is this the momentum needed for the Austrian Grand Prix?
For Acosta, it is clear that he can mix it up again in the fight for the podium if KTM provides him with a “performance package”: “At the moment, we are still clearly behind the performance we had at the beginning of the season.”
“In addition, we are still clearly behind Ducati and Aprilia. That’s why I think it’s a good moment to shine and see if KTM has really worked as hard as they say.”
“I think it will be a good weekend for us. Last year we achieved third and fourth places in Spielberg. This time we are going there with a better mood than last year. We are also bringing some energy. Let’s see.”
With the podiums in Aragon and Misano, Acosta improved to fifth place in the world championship standings. He overtook Ai Ogura (Trackhouse-Aprilia), who missed both race weekends due to a thumb injury.
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